Requiem for a Dream
by OverlyDramatic
Summary: What you're really asking is why he can trust her when he never trusted you."


NOTES: In my head (and in this fic), Lana won't die or become a walking piece of kryptonite by stopping the bomb. Because the nano-whatever is made of alien DNA, the suit will react and short out, leaving Lana normal and boring once again.

Also, I'm aware that this doesn't entirely match up with the previews we've been given but, well . . . whatever. I don't know who could possibly salvage what they've given us. I did my best with what I had.

_Starts after the 1st web clip from Requiem. Clark and Lana are visiting Oliver in the hospital. Clark and Lana decide to split up in search of more clues, and Clark goes on his merry little way._

_***_

"You don't like me." It wasn't a question, but there was a hint of confusion lurking in her tone. She hadn't missed the looks he had kept shooting her behind Clark's back, but she couldn't comprehend what they meant.

Oliver quirked his mouth before answering wryly, "No, Lana, I really don't."

"Why?" she asked evenly.

He stared her down for a long moment. "I don't trust you."

Lana nodded, the calm façade only belied by the faint tension in her jaw.

"You don't know me," she agreed, as if the two statements were one and the same. "But I can assure you that I _will_ do my part to make this world a better place." She studied him before continuing. "I know that when it gets right down to it, the world is what you really care about."

"You know, it's funny," Oliver mused, completely disregarding her assessment. "Clark thinks you did this for him."

Lana accepted the underlying accusation without a thought, choosing instead to make her resolve, if not her motives, clear.

"I love him."

"Yeah, that's true enough," Oliver agreed. "But I just don't think that's cutting it anymore." At her unwavering stare he shifted tactics. "What was all that stuff about holding him back and—what was it? —not needing him enough to keep trying?"

Lana's mouth tightened at the twisting of her words and resentment flared towards the archer for being privy to such private information.

"It wasn't right before. But now-"

"Now that he's grown up and moved on, he's finally enough for you, is that it?"

Lana ignored his attempt to instigate, focusing on his assessment of Clark's situation. The words '_moved on'_ rung in her ears with an oddly disjointed clarity.

"Are you protecting someone?" she asked, scrutinizing his expression. "Someone other than Clark?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific," Oliver quipped.

Lana remained unmoved.

"Is there some other reason you don't want Clark to be with me? Some other . . . person?" She forced the words through unwilling lips.

His eyes moved to study the area above her head, head nodding absently as he pondered her question. Lana looked on, forcing herself to draw upon her newly acquired patience until Oliver turned to look her square in the face.

"You already know the answer to that. What you're really asking is why he can trust her when he never trusted you."

She opened her mouth in shock, horrified words escaping. "She doesn't . . ." _know_. She gained control of her mouth, refusing to verbalize the final word. Oliver's expression alerted her to his comprehension, but it also assuaged her fears. Whoever she was, Clark's secret was still safe.

"Things are different now," she recovered as calmly as she could. "I can help him. We can do all this together."

"You know, Lana, speaking from experience, you don't have to have superpowers to save the world."

Lana was already shaking her head when he finished. "It was holding us back," she insisted. "As long as I couldn't share that with him, there was a part of him I couldn't have. But now I can know him like I never could."

Oliver shook his head. "It wasn't the fact that you're _normal_ that held Clark back, Lana. And we both know it."

Lana stared at him for a moment before nodding her head, jaw clenching in defiance even as her eyes stung traitorously. His opinion was set in stone; she could see that. Oliver Queen was nothing if not loyal, and she could never convince him of the truth when he perceived his friend was at risk.

"If that's how you want to see it," she dismissed coolly. There was no point in staying. Turning on her heel, she was in downtown Metropolis before Oliver could blink.

***

Chloe glanced up from shuffling papers, rolling her eyes at the sight of the mildly distraught alien in her doorway.

"Sorry, Clark," she dismissed as she maneuvered out of her chair, stuffing documents into her bag, "But Chloe's advise column is officially suspended."

Clark frowned as he watched her disappear into the bedroom, only to reappear seconds later with a duffle bag in tow.

"What's with the suitcase?" he inquired, somewhat distracted from his original intent.

"Headed to the airport," Chloe informed him as she grabbed her laptop off the desk and slid it into its case. "Oliver's jet is on course for Star City, and I've got a husband who's long overdue for a visit."

"Oliver's in the hospital," Clark stated with a furrowed brow, watching as Chloe came to a complete and sudden stop in the middle of the room.

"What happened?" she demanded, dropping her pile onto the floor to stare at him.

"The bomb downtown; he was caught in the blast."

"Oh my . . . . Is he alright?"

"Yeah," Clark assured her. "Just a little cut up."

"Well," Chloe recovered, swinging her bag back onto her shoulder, "Oliver or no Oliver, the jet's leaving in an hour."

"Chloe-" he began, only to be cut off by a huff.

"Clark, I really don't have time for your Lana troubles right now."

"Lana troubles?" Clark questioned, mildly offended. "I'm not having Lana troubles. I came to ask if you had any leads on the bomber."

"Oh," Chloe blinked, then shook her head. "Well, I don't really have time to play sidekick right now. Sorry, Clark."

"What's the rush?"

The question pulled Chloe up short, and she turned to give Clark an incredulous look.

"It's just that you've been here for weeks, Chloe, and Jimmy's still in that hospital bed."

"Lois has been covering for me," Chloe defended easily. "But you're right, it has been weeks, and now I'm pretty keen on seeing him again."

Clark gave her a dubious look, but dropped the subject in favor of an earlier one. "And what made you think I'm having Lana problems?"

"Oh, come on, Clark. When you and Lana start throwing around '_I love you'_s, the rest of the world knows to duck and cover. Besides, with her new super suit power-up, things are bound to get a little messy."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

At the pointed look that Clark was giving her, Chloe abandoned her packing to give him her full attention.

"Clark, I know you think that Lana's new abilities are going to make everything better, but I think you're fooling yourself."

He opened his mouth to speak, but Chloe cut him off. "As much as you want to believe it, this isn't going to magically fix everything."

Clark shook his head. "My powers were always the problem."

"Were they, Clark?" she asked bluntly. "Cause it seems to me they were just the scapegoat. Your relationship has enough problems on its own."

Clark gave her an affronted look, opening his mouth as if to argue. But then a speculative look crossed his features, and his point changed.

"And what exactly is your role in all of this?" he accused suddenly.

"My role?" Chloe echoed, looking appropriately confused.

Clark continued as though he hadn't heard her.

"First you tell me to get closure, then two days later—when I've finally decided to move past this once and for all—you're wanting me to talk it out with Lana so we can fix things."

"Don't put this on me," Chloe warned. "You obviously have feelings for her. And after all that time on the Clark and Lana rollercoaster, don't you think she deserves one last look before you step onto the platform of 'moving on'?"

"But how do I know this time is any different? What if this is just one of those flare ups?"

"Flare ups?" Chloe questioned, uncomprehending.

"Yeah, you know when-" Clark's eyes grew distant for a moment before he cut himself off. "Never mind."

"Okay," Chloe accepted, looking a little suspicious. "Well, how _do_ you feel about her?"

"I don't know," Clark admitted after a moment. "I mean . . . every relationship has its issues, right? Nobody's perfect."

Chloe rolled her eyes and glanced down at her watch.

"Clark, I know I'm your best friend, but I can't solve your issues. I have enough of my own right now without dealing with the trials and tribulations of Clark Kent."

At Clark's affronted expression, she backtracked.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm under a lot of pressure. Just . . . do you think you could maybe pour your heart out to someone else for the time being? I mean, Oliver's conveniently trapped in a hospital bed, right? And you have that whole hero thing in common."

"Okay," Clark sighed. "I get the point, Chloe."

She flashed him a smile. "Thanks. See you in a few weeks."

Quirking a grin in return, Clark headed for the door.

"Oh, and Clark?" she called after him before he could make his escape.

He turned around, looking expectant.

"Um, since I'm running late and all . . . could I catch a ride?"

***

"It's just . . ." Clark sighed, moving about the room. "When we're together, everything just . . . .clicks."

When Chloe had suggested he talk to Oliver, Clark had taken the suggestion for what it was: sarcasm. But after dropping her off at the tarmac—and finding no new leads on the bombing—Clark decided checking up on his friend might not be such a bad idea. And things had just snowballed from there.

"Does it, Clark?" Oliver demanded, looking equal parts jaded by the conversation and unimpressed at Clark's newest justification. "Because it seems to me that all the important things are missing." At Clark's confused look he expounded, "Trust. Respect. You know, the things people build _adult_ relationships on."

"We trust each other-" Clark began heatedly.

"Do you?" Oliver cut him off. "Because it seems to me that whenever you talk about your concerns, Lana ends up disregarding the conversation and going with her own plan."

"That's not true," Clark defended, a little less convincingly than before. He grasped for a minute before beginning again. "Besides, having your own opinions isn't a bad thing. Lois _never_ listens when-"

Oliver's eyebrows went to his hairline as Clark abruptly cut off his own sentence.

"_We_ don't always agree on how to do things," he recovered, gesturing from himself to his friend in the hospital bed.

"_We_," Oliver replied, pointedly enough that Clark wondered if he really meant _you and Lois_, "sometimes go off half-cocked without really discussing things and get ourselves into trouble. But that's not what I'm talking about here."

"Then what are you talking about?" Clark demanded, crossing his arms.

Oliver's reply was cut off as a nurse entered the room, pushing a wheelchair up to Oliver's bed. Clark relaxed and stepped back, accepting the conversation as lost.

"Time to go home, Mr. Queen," she nurse announced as she moved to Oliver's side, holding his arm for support as he slid out of bed and levered himself into the chair. She glanced at Clark, silently asking if he would be accompanying them. At his negative motion, she grasped the handles and wheeled Oliver towards the door.

"Look, maybe it's none of my business," Oliver called to Clark as the nurse paused to gather the billionaire's things. "But it seems to me that the things that you do have? They just aren't enough to offset the things that you don't."

Clark was left staring after him as Oliver was wheeled out the door and around the corner.

***

Staring up at him, watching his eyes dart from the bomb to the city to her and back again, she finally understood.

This was it.

This was the choice he'd always had to make, the power that was finally hers. This was what it all came down to. And the superpowers didn't make any difference.

Lose the man she loved. Lose the powers she'd worked so hard to obtain. Lose her whole future.

"Clark, that much kryptonite could take out half the city."

This was the choice Clark had always dealt with, the hardship through which he persevered. It was never his abilities; it was his choices.

Himself. The world.

She couldn't do it.

***

How had it come to this?

He loved Lana; of course he did. How could he not? She was everything he'd always wanted. Everything he'd always worked for. The only hope for the life he'd always-

"Clark?"

He glanced up at the sound of her voice. His heart wrenched at the sight of her tortured expression, the torn look in her eyes. If he lost her . . . .

"Do it."

His command took him aback as much as it did her. More surprising was the sense of rightness that washed over him with the words.

"Clark, I-"

If he lost her . . . what?

He was shocked at the progression of thoughts in his head. "It's the only way." His emotions were not what he expected. "It's the only way to save them." It was worth it to him, and he didn't even have to think about it.

"If I touch that kryptonite . . . ."

"You have to."

Because for the first time in his life, the lives of others was more important than being with her. For the first time ever, his feelings were not enough. Lana gave a jerky nod, tears swimming in her eyes; and for the first time ever, the sadness filling him was nothing more than the remorse of seeing a friend in pain. And he knew it wasn't really Lana he was losing. It was-"

"Just a dream," he murmured as Lana turned away from him for the last time.

***

It had been harder than she thought it would be, seeing him again. The first thing she had done upon arriving in Metropolis was head back to the Planet—she was so behind on work she was surprised Tess hadn't sent her a pink slip in the mail—so of course she was expecting it. But it still surprised her.

It wasn't because things had changed. It wasn't that their relationship was irreparably damaged. It was because it wasn't; nothing was different.

She had spent more time than was healthy pondering every possible scenario while she was away. She had broken down and gotten the gossip from her friends—the ones who actually _called_—before she left Star City, so she knew more than she would like to about the return and subsequent demise of Metropolis's newest power couple.

And somehow, when she turned around and ran straight into him—when she saw his eyes light up and felt her heart catch—it was as if she had never left.

She hated it.

Because she _had_ left. And rather than calling her, rather than working towards what was so obviously brewing between them, Clark had taken the opportunity to tangle tongues—and what else? She didn't want to know—with the very same princess of Smallville who had brutally killed their relationship's pivotal moment.

It wasn't that she hadn't suspected _something_ would happen. Oliver was fresh enough in the past that this realization was perfectly clear: you can't just shut off your feelings with the press of a button. Smallville's Sweethearts had a lot of history, and she had known that Clark would have to work out his feelings for Lana before they could ever move forward.

She just wished he didn't hurt her so damn much in the process.

"It's been terrible without you, Lois. I've had to drink my own coffee," Clark teased.

Alert as she was to his words, the tenderness of his tone didn't escape her—though it sure as hell escaped him. It made her angry that she had spent so many weeks tormenting her heart and here he was, still clueless.

The moment they shared at Chloe's wedding hadn't been a fluke; but, apparently, it was being passed off as one.

"Well, Smallville, sometimes you have to pull your own weight," she shot back, sounding impressively offhand. She wished he would pick up on the double meaning hidden in her words.

He glanced up at her, smiling in that way of his, and she felt herself moving toward dangerous territory. His fingers were shifting restlessly, and she had the panicked thought that he might try to hug her.

"Well," she continued abruptly, moving backwards so he didn't get any ideas. "I'd better get the whole 'Tess yelling at me' thing over with." And with that, she made an about-face and hurried out of the bullpen.

She was doing her best not to lash out at him, not to set them back again. She was trying to be the bigger person, and that didn't come easy for Lois Grudge-Holding Lane. But whoever thought she was just going to throw herself at him again was crazy.

It may not be Clark's fault he's an idiot who doesn't see what's right in front of him. She might even let slide the fact that Lana freaking Lang had the power to revert him to the age of fourteen. But she sure as hell was going to make him work for it this time.

A flash of indignation surged when she caught a glimpse of his dark hair through the glass wall separating them. It felt good. Justified.

And the traitor tear that slipped out as she strode into the elevator only made her angrier.

***end***

Okay, don't hate me for how I handled this. I've moved past the anger stage and onto denial. I need to justify everyone's idiocy, just a little. And Lois's reaction was largely inspired by an interview with Erica Durance; she said Lois knew when to step aside and let Clark and Lana work out their issues, or something to that effect. Yet she did really open up to Clark. So I think she'd be pissed and hurt, but not really spiteful. Clark, on the other hand, is a BDA who can't make up his mind (or figure out what his mind is telling him in the first place).

Anywho, poor Oliver, having to call everyone out on their stupidity. From a hospital bed, no less. But it serves him right for bringing Lana back in the first place.

Yep. Tell me what you think, please. And the rambling ends . . . now.


End file.
